Song Inspired RxD Fics
by curligurl0896
Summary: Basically a bunch of short stories about everyone's favorite couple, inspired by a variety of songs.
1. Just give me a reason

**So, I've seen a whole lot of stories that are about exactly this, a rewrite of what happened in Spirit Bound, after the words "Love fades, mine has." And while normally, I'm not a big fan of story ideas that just about everyone else in the fandom decides they want to write about (I mean, can you be any less original?), I decided to write this anyway, being inspired by the song "Just Give Me a Reason" by Pink. I did my absolute best, and I hope you guys find it enjoyable, and that it stands out as much as it can when far too many people have written about the exact same story idea.**

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><p><em>He<em> was the only one she gave herself so completely to. The only one who managed to steal her heart without even trying. No other man had been able to make her feel as amazing as he did.

And when he shattered her heart, nothing she did could fully repair it. No amount of moving on could completely heal her inside, no matter how much she convinced herself that it did, that she was fine. And she was, right?

Adrian apparently didn't think so. He'd broken it off with her, accusing her of still pining after _him_. She'd denied it, but he refused to listen and left Rose with a heart so shattered she didn't think anyone could hope to fix it. He'd found someone else now, and she was human- the same Alchemist girl who had helped her out in Russia, in fact. She didn't think it would work out, but shockingly it did, much to the disapproval of all the other royals.

At least Adrian was happy. Rose, however, had no one. Not that she needed anyone, she told herself, once again dismissing the thought of the man she used to love, a man who was now so blindly consumed with guilt that it was killing him.

He told her his love had faded. She convinced herself that hers had, too. There was nothing left between the two of them, or so they thought.

They were both wrong.

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><p>He didn't think he could love <em>her <em>anymore. He told himself he couldn't. And he actually believed it, because he was feeling much too guilty to want to believe anything else. After all, he had done the unthinkable in those four months, and regardless of what Vasilisa said, regardless of what _she_ said, he knew he couldn't be forgiven. The constant glares at Court only confirmed this.

He was more than thankful when Queen Tatiana had accepted him as being a dhampir once more, and had offered him a chance to go back to his family. There wasn't much anyone could do in terms of restoring his guardian title, and he expected as much. After all, who would want someone who had been a monster, who had once ruthlessly slaughtered thousands, to have such a position?

Just the idea of seeing his family scared him. He did want to go back to his homeland, he knew that for sure. Even though he was there as a Strigoi, it had meant nothing to him. There wasn't any happiness, any joy at being back home, because they didn't feel those feelings. There was only hate, and rage, and cruelty.

Thinking about Russia now, though, made Dimitri feel homesick. He longed to be back home, to see the extravagant buildings and to enjoy a freshly baked loaf of his mother's black bread. He missed the house he grew up in, which was a bit small, and worn down, but still sturdy after all these years. He missed his family most of all. Just the thought of his three sisters, his mother and his grandmother made him want to be there now. Although, above all else (and he would never admit this to himself), he wanted _her_ there with him.

His main concern, though, was whether his family would accept him. He had been a monster, one who killed and slaughtered and shed blood out of a sadistic cruelty. Would his family consider that? Or would they see the sweet, caring boy that had once grown up in their household, as a part of their family?

He was especially worried about what his younger sister, Viktoria, would think. There had been a chance meeting between the two of them when he was a Strigoi, and he had no doubt she was shaken from the experience. He'd demanded to know where _she_ had gone, and by his sister's frightened responses had gathered that _she_ went back to the Academy. Vika had also kept insisting that it wasn't really Dimitri, that the creature before her was a demon that had taken over her brother and made him the twistedly evil monster he had been for those four months.

But he had barely climbed out of the car, and was just being escorted by the two ever-present guardians when his baby sister slammed into him, squealing excitedly about how thankful she was to see him back, safe and sound and not a Strigoi anymore. He hugged her in response, a bit hesitantly, and out of the corner of his eye he saw the two guardians, who always wore the stoic-face guardian mask (the same one _she_ teased him about), actually smile.

Soon he felt more embraces, heard the affectionate use of his nickname, and saw his mother, his grandmother, and his two older sisters, Karolina and Sonya, along with his nephew, Paul.

After shooing away the guardians (his family insisted that it was obvious he wasn't Strigoi), they insisted he come inside, his mama telling him she'd baked a whole loaf of black bread just for him. He let himself be led inside the house he grew up in, then asked if he could go to his room. They let him, a little reluctantly, but then Karo had brought up something he hadn't wanted to think about, even though he wouldn't be able to help it anyway.

"Wait, where's Rose?"

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><p>Rose was at Court, with Lissa. Although Lissa had made it clear that Rose had to give <em>him<em> time to heal, she had, in the end, stuck with her friend, especially after an incident that she swore not to tell anyone (especially not Christian, who could potentially use it as blackmail). Lissa had went to look for Rose, and had found her in her room, crying her eyes out. The Dragomir princess ended up comforting her friend for once, rather than the other way around, while Rose confessed that she couldn't love anyone else but _him_, and the fact that _he_ pushed her away after going through hell for him had shattered her heart. The fact that Lissa had sided with _him_ had broken her even further, and she had actually been contemplating suicide. The confession had clearly shocked Lissa, and she apologized, saying that she shouldn't have been so unfair to her best friend, even if _he_ needed to heal emotionally.

Thankfully, _he_ had left, going back home to his family. Despite being crushed by his rejection, Rose hoped he was happy. She remembered how he used to talk about Russia frequently, and although he never mentioned it outright, she knew he missed his homeland.

The very same place that, unfortunately, they were going to now.

Liss hadn't done it on purpose, Rose knew she wasn't that type of person. She and Christian had simply decided to vacation there, Lissa wanting to see the buildings and landscape while Christian wanted to find new recipes there.

But Rose wasn't too happy about the thought of going there. Just the mention of it reminded her of _him_.

"Rose, it'll be okay," Lissa tried to reason with her. "I mean, it's a huge country. What's the chance of meeting him there by accident?"

"It doesn't matter. I still don't like the idea of going there," she replied stubbornly.

"So? If it bothers you that much, then you can stay here. I won't be offended or anything, and I promise that I'll go with guardians that you approve of.

"You already have the only two guardians that I approve of," Rose insisted. It was true. There was obviously her, and, while she admits to herself that it sounds egotistical, she knew she was an awesome guardian. The only one who had any hope of taking her down in a fight (besides her mother, who had her own charge to worry about) was Eddie Castile, her friend. And still she kicked his ass most of the time.

She didn't dare think about _him_.

"Well, if you don't want to go-"  
>"I don't really have much of a choice, do I?" Rose cut her off. Then she sighed. "I'm sorry, Liss, I shouldn't have been complaining about it. I'm your guardian as well as your best friend. I told myself I wouldn't abandon you, no matter what."<p>

Lissa sighed quietly. "Rose, really, you don't have to do this."

"I'm only doing my duty as a guardian. I mean, it's either that or waste my time trying to find a guardian that at least meets Rose Hathaway standards, which you know is all but impossible to meet. Besides, you did have a point. What's the likelihood of running into him in a country that big?"

"Yeah, by accident. But if you guys were really meant to be together..."

Rose groaned. "Not this fate crap again. Seriously, Lissa, you know I don't believe in that."  
>"Well, you know, it might happen."<p>

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><p>A few months had passed since Dimitri was restored. He was now at home, and trying to make up for that fact as best as he could. He helped around the house in any way possible, and that, along with the exercises he did (despite the fact that he knew it was pointless) were the only thing that kept him sane.<p>

His family, God bless them, tried to do their best to help him. They were worried about him, he knew, and just wanted to see him happy again. But no matter what, they couldn't convince him to forgive himself for what he did during those four months, especially to _her_.

Thinking about her made Dimitri feel conflicted. He wasn't sure what to make of it.

Admittedly, it seemed he could never escape her, as she still consumed his every thought after he left Court. Her dazzling smile, her long, beautiful hair that felt like silk, her soft, perfect lips... He could have sworn he was madly in love with her, just like he was before he was turned.

But... there were also the memories, the images that filled him with guilt every time they came to the forefront of his mind.

Like the dazed, happy look on her face as the monster that he'd been sunk his fangs into her neck...

The thrill he got in tasting her blood...

And, most importantly, his desperation to corrupt her as he had been corrupted, to twist her into a monster she would never be, stealing away her precious soul...

To "awaken" her.

Dimitri shuddered at the thought. Out of all the crimes he committed, or thought of committing, nothing disgusted him and made him hate himself more than remembering how much he wanted to turn her into a Strigoi.

Besides, he had told her he didn't love her anymore. And that was still true. Right?

But one day... one day his grandmother decide to talk to him, to give him a wake-up call. A badly needed wake-up call, as Yeva saw it.

"You need to stop feeling sorry for yourself," she told him.

Dimitri looked up from the book he was reading. He wasn't sure what to say, so he waited for his grandmother to elaborate.

Which she did. "It's all in the past now, Dimka. What's done is done. There's no use in making yourself feel guilty about those four months, especially since it's holding you back."

He just shook his head. "How?" he asked. "How can I just ignore those four months when I've hurt and killed people? When I was ready to hurt and kill _her_?"

His grandmother strode over and reached out to grip his chin, making him look at her. "I've told you already to stop feeling sorry for yourself. You're not going to get anywhere in life if you just let the guilt consume you instead of moving on. You need to step up and be the man your mother and I raised you to be. And you especially have to make it up to her, because she deserves it."

"Make it up to her?" He was way past being able to make it up to her.

"You'll get the chance sooner than you think," his grandmother said simply.

And she was right, as always.

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><p>The Strigoi came out of nowhere.<p>

Rose had been with Lissa, as always. She ended up accompanying her and Christian to Russia. The four of them had been hanging out, Rose and Eddie checking for any signs of danger while trying to have fun with the Moroi couple at the same time. Rose sensed them immediately, of course, the nausea almost overwhelming. But it was only a split-second warning before they attacked.

Both Rose and Eddie snapped into action immediately, throwing themselves in front of the two Moroi, falling into a rhythm of punches, kicks and blocks. There were at least half a dozen Strigoi, however, so they had their hands rather full at that moment.

Rose soon staked the Strigoi she'd been fighting, and then moved on to the next one. She turned her head quickly to make sure Lissa and Christian were okay, and noticed that Lissa was standing behind Christian, who was currently torching a couple that had managed to get past the two guardians. At least he could manage against them.

Unfortunately, in the moment it took her to check on Lissa and Christian, something hit the back of her head with such force that darkness swam in front of her eyes. Before she fell, she spotted someone coming out of nowhere, and she recognized that someone as _him _before a sea of black obscured her vision, and she knew nothing.

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><p>Dimitri stared dumbly down, unable to believe what happened, and what he'd just done. He'd simply reacted, not thinking about the situation at hand, simply doing what his heart told him to do. It wasn't that it was the right thing to do; he'd taken out the remaining Strigoi quickly and efficiently, and as a result, helping a pair of guardians protect their charges.<p>

But the thing was, this particular group of Moroi and guardians wasn't just any random group of people; they were people he knew. And the guardian that had been knocked out by the Strigoi…..

It was _her._

He knew his grandmother spoke the truth when she told him he'd get his chance. She didn't like wasting words, and her predictions had an uncanny way of turning out to be true. But still, he didn't think it would be the result of some unplanned meeting that took place despite the odds. The odds of simply running into them, and _her—_

"What are the odds," Christian mused, almost as if reading his mind, "of running into you, of all people, in a country this big? I'd guess they would have had to be pretty good, since it happened."

Princess Vasilisa came forward, clearly worried about _her._ "She was really upset after you pushed her away. I told her you just needed time to heal, and that you'd come around soon enough. Still, she went through so much just for you. She loved you, she really did."

Dimitri looked away. "She shouldn't," he stated dully. "Not after… what I did to her."

"But she does," Lissa insisted. "She forgives you. She knows that you didn't have a choice, that you were forced to become Strigoi. Those four months… she doesn't care about that."

Of course _she _forgave him. She was simply too good not to. It only made him feel less deserving of her, knowing that she'd forgive him for any wretched thing he did.

But, Dimitri realized, it was hurting her more to be away from her. It was hurting him, too—but he didn't care about that. He only wanted her to be happy, to be with a man who hadn't been a monster like he had, and who didn't hurt her the way he had. That pushing her away didn't do any good at all, but rather simply crushed her, made him feel worse about the situation.

Was it actually possible that she forgave him for all he'd done to her? And was the only way to fix this really just to be with her again?

He didn't even have to think about it. Dimitri already knew the answer.

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><p>Rose woke up, not entirely sure where she was. Or, more importantly, where Lissa was. She used the bond to check up on her charge, and found out that, thankfully, Lissa was okay.<p>

Just then, a woman came into the room, took one look at her, and said, "Oh, good, you're awake."

Rose recognized the woman immediately. A lump formed in her throat; she knew exactly where she was.

Olena came and sat down on the bed. "You know, he's never stopped loving you."

"That's not what he said," Rose pointed out. "And anyway, I'm over it." A bald-faced lie, and she knew it. No matter how much she told herself otherwise, she knew that she loved him still, and that, deep down, he probably still loved her too, just as his mother just told her.

The question was, was _he_ about to admit it? Or did he still believe so firmly that he couldn't love her, and that she couldn't love him, that he would continue to push her away?

It was obvious Olena saw through the lie. She gave Rose a sympathetic smile. "He may have said otherwise, but if you'd seen how he was, you would know the truth."

"How he was?"

"Dimka's been rather upset. He might not talk about it, and he might do his best to pretend like nothing's wrong, but it's clear that something's bothering him. And when you're mentioned… it's worse."

"He hasn't forgiven himself yet, has he?"

Olena shook her head. "Knowing him, he won't forgive himself for it anytime soon, at least not without someone convincing him otherwise. Still, you're the only one he'll listen to."

"How do you know he'll even listen to me?"

"Just give him a chance, please," the older woman pleaded. "I know you're upset, but it's also hurting him. I just want him to find peace, and you're the only one I know who could help him at this point."

Rose sighed. "I'll talk to him a little later, okay?"

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><p>Dimitri stared out at the sunset while sitting out on the back porch of his family's home. He felt a mess of emotions churning inside him, every single one of them a result of the presence of the dark-haired beauty just inside.<p>

_She _had seemed to be avoiding him the whole day, which was only to be expected, but that didn't make it any more bearable. It was almost worse, the times he _did _see her, knowing she probably won't forgive him now. He knew for sure now that he still loved her, because no matter how much he told himself otherwise, it didn't stop his heart from pounding whenever she so much as glanced in his general direction. It didn't stop the thought of her from dominating the forefront of his mind. And it definitely didn't stop him from longing for a way to make it up to her, even though he knew in his heart that it was hopelessly impossible.

But would he even get a chance to try to redeem himself?

The answer came just a moment later, when the door opened and someone came and sat next to him. He didn't need to look to know it was _her._

It was uncomfortably quiet at first. He had no idea what to say to her, and she wasn't speaking up, either. He decided to simply wait until she was ready to speak to him.

Eventually, she said, "Your mother wanted me to talk to you."

"Of course," he murmured. Of course his family would try to do what they thought was best for him.

"She seemed to think that things would get better between us."

His heart stopped when she said that. He swallowed heavily, and said, "And you don't?"

"Could they? You sure didn't seem to think so."

"Maybe I've changed my mind. Maybe I've realized that I was making a mistake."

She laughed bitterly. "Don't you think it's a little bit too late for that, Comrade?"

His heart seized at hearing her nickname for him. He turned to look at her, and she met his gaze evenly, a mix of emotions in her dark eyed gaze.

"Just give me a reason, Dimitri. Give me one damn reason to believe you, when you were the one who told me you didn't love me anymore."

He stared at her for a moment—and then kissed her.

* * *

><p>Sometime later, one of the doors in the house was closed, and no one dared to open it. Everyone else knew what was going on in there, and so they kept away, letting <em>them <em>have all the privacy they needed.

Inside that room, they were in their own, separate world as they explored each other's bodies hungrily, re-memorizing every last inch of bare skin. They shared their desperate love for each other, knowing now that it was there all along. It was soon impossible for either to tell where they ended and the other began; they were so joined together that it was as if they were a single person.

And it was in their time together, showing their love for each other physically, over and over again, that they both realized that they weren't so broken that they couldn't love each other anymore, like they had told themselves at first. They could heal. They could learn to love each other again, and in fact they did.

One thing was for sure: Rose and Dimitri would never leave each other's sides ever again.


	2. AN

**Oh my God, guys! I am blown away by your awesome reviews! I did my absolute best, and I am flattered that people thought so highly of it:)**

**I was glad that some of you guys thought that it was very true to the characters. I myself hate it when people write them out of character, especially obviously enough that anyone who has actually read the stories could say, "Nope, this person is totally not in character!" That's only one of the reasons why there is so few good fanfics in the first place. **

**For example, one of the most common OOC problems I see in most "Love fades, mine has" fic is Lissa going from Rose's best friend and a genuinely caring person to suddenly being a total raging bitch. Crap like that doesn't happen overnight, and I doubt anyone would, no matter what, suddenly hate their best friend that they have had since kindergarten. Even in the most well-written fics I have read, that still proceeds to bug me.**

**Anyway, now that I'm finished ranting, I just wanted to know...**

**Do you guys want me to write more little one-shots based on songs?**

**I mean, I would totally like to do so, but I just wanted to know if you guys would like to see that, or if you are okay with just this. I have a couple ideas, that's for sure...**  
><strong>Please do review and let me know what you think!<strong>


	3. You're Beautiful

**Okay, I know it's been a while since I last updated (like over a month), but I've been kind of preoccupied with lots of things (such as updating stuff on my other account, called Suckyficcommentary, which is, as you can guess, devoted to commentaries on all the crapfics on this site). But anyway, thank you, guys, for all the lovely reviews! Hope this next one is as good as you guys hoped for it to be! **

**This is based off the song "You're Beautiful" by James Blunt. **

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><p>I made my way through the crowd, trying to get to the platform before the subway left. I'd just had a long day at work, and I wanted nothing more than to get home at this point, to unwind and to have dinner and to spend the rest of the night enjoying one o the rare moments of free time I've been able to have these days. It was rather difficult at times, but it was worth it in the end, because I had a rather decently paying job, some of which I used to help out my family back home in Russia. They were doing well because of it, which is what my mother had been telling me right then.<p>

"Are you sure?" I asked her, speaking in my native tongue. At the same time, I squeezed through the mess of people all trying to go somewhere, most likely home, at this time.

"Of course I'm sure," she reassured me immediately. "You need to stop worrying so much, Dimka. You're too young to be worrying like this."

There was the subway, with people still boarding it, thankfully. I joined the crush of bodies, trying not to bump into anyone, while simultaneously focusing on my phone call. "I just want to make sure," I said, as I boarded the subway and began trying to find a seat. I noticed someone drop their thing out of the corner of my eye. I went over to help, saying to the phone, "I have to go. I'll talk to you later, okay, Mama?"

"Okay. Bye, Dimka."

With that, I knelt down and started picking up said person's things I didn't think about who it could have been, and had no idea how big of an impact this would have on my life. I'd only stopped to help because it was the right thing to do, something very few people considered now in the midst of their busy lives.

"Here you go. I-" I stopped abruptly, seeing for the first time the stranger I had stopped to help. I stared.

An angel stood back at me.

There was no doubt in my mind that was exactly what she was- an angel. She was far too beautiful to be any ordinary girl. Long, dark, silky hair framed a lovely, perfect face, consisting of softly curved cheeks, a small, almost delicate nose, soft, plump red lip, and large beautiful dark eyes that somehow shone brighter than even the sun did. She was so beautiful that I couldn't think, couldn't even breathe, and all I could do was simply stare, afraid that if I so much as blinked the angel would somehow disappear, nothing more than a lovely figment of my imagination.

She took her things from me and smiled, and my heart stopped at the sight of it. "Thank you," she said, making it only more difficult to think about anything else but her. Good God, even her voice was wonderful, the mere sound of it sending shivers down my spine.

_ Say something,_ I told myself, cursing my inability to make intelligent conversation in the presence of such a beautiful woman.

But before I could so much as open my mouth, my chance was lost, cruelly ripped away from me along with any hope I might have had about being with her.

"Rose!" a voice called. I turned to see a man heading towards us, towards _her. _He stopped less than a foot away and eyed me suspiciously.

"What's going on here?" he demanded. It didn't take long for me to figure out what was going on, and the realization felt like a knife rammed into my chest.

"Nothing," the angel told him. "Come on."

He put his arm without her possessively, and with a single glare in my direction, took her to sit somewhere down the aisle.

I sat down myself, numb with disbelief as I watched them. Of _course _she was already taken. Why should I have thought, even for a second, that I could have her? It was clear she was with another man, and that she was happy with him. I simply couldn't take her away from him, no matter how selfish I wanted to be about it. No matter what, it just wasn't honorable, wasn't _right- _but it still broke my heart to never be allowed to have her.

All throughout the ride on the subway, I couldn't stop myself from looking at her, or even thinking about her. Running through my mind was the one piece of information I had of her: her name.

_ Rose. _The name described her perfectly, or at least a perfectly as any word could describe someone like her. It only made sense that she would be named after something beautiful, rather than something ordinary. But then, even the beauty of a rose would pale in comparison to her, wouldn't it? Still, the name itself was lovely, especially in Russian.

Rose. _Roza. _A fitting name for a beautiful thing like her.

Not that it mattered, did it? It wasn't like I had any chance of being with her, not even in the slightest. I didn't know what to do with myself after this, after falling in love with a beautiful stranger that I could never have for myself. I must have tried at least a dozen times to forget her, figuring that in doing so, I would be able to keep my sanity, but each and every time I failed, unable to keep my eyes from returning to her. The man she was with only continued glaring in my direction, the message he was sending perfectly clear- he did _not _like me looking at his girlfriend. But even that wasn't enough- the power this angel had over me was just too strong.

I had never before felt something of this magnitude, never felt love for a woman so intensely as I was now. Granted, I'd dated before, but each and every time it ended badly, and I'd given up the idea of being with someone romantically.

But this….this changed things, and yet at the same time it changed nothing. Even though I would probably never get to see her again, and I would be stuck continuing on with my life as if nothing out of the ordinary had ever happened, I would still carry the memory of that moment with me forever.

For the first time in my life, I understood the words "madly in love." I felt like I was going insane with the mere thought of her, and it only made it worse to know I couldn't have her.

When it was time for me to get off, I reluctantly tore my eyes away from Rose, and stood up to get off. I tried to think about anything but her, but once again failed miserably, especially when I found myself close to her once more after exiting the subway. She turned and, seeing me, gave another heart-stopping smile, and suddenly I could think of nothing else. It was as if there were some angel from heaven trying to push me towards her, thinking that I should be with her.

But as her boyfriend pulled her away, I turned away with a heavy heart and the intention of going home. As much as it pained me to do so, I had no other choice but to face the truth. No matter how much I wished otherwise, I had no chance of having her- it was doubtful that I would even see her again after this. And even if I did, the fact remained that she was someone else's Rose.

I would never, ever be with her.

* * *

><p><strong>So, there you have it, folks. Did you like it? Hate it? Do you want a better ending to the story? Let me know! If you guys really want a happy ending (which isn't part of the song), review and tell me, and I will post a part 2 where there IS a happy ending.<strong>


	4. You're Beautiful part 2: Happy Ending

I was heading home, relieved to have finished my long list of errands. My apartment was just a few blocks away, so it wouldn't take more than about fifteen minutes to get there. It was plenty enough time to have something extraordinary happen to me, something I knew, perhaps better than anyone, after what took place two months ago.

Two months. That's how long it s been since I saw the most beautiful woman I'd ever laid eyes on. I had long since given up trying to forget her, knowing it was all but hopeless. Some days the hope of seeing her again drove me to keep going, even though I knew it was unlikely. Other times, I wanted to do nothing all day but curl up on the floor and weep, wondering what I could have done in my life to deserve this. Still other days were spent driving myself crazy with the thought of what could have happened, what could have been if she weren't already with another man.

But not once did the thought of the angel named Rose leave my mind. Even though I haven't seen her since then, I was still unable to escape her, even in my sleep- my dreams were always plagued with the memory of her lovely face.

So when I saw her, sitting on a bench by herself, I froze, hardly daring to believe it.

It definitely was her, of that I had no doubt. The memory of what she looked like was burned into my mind permanently, so much that I knew there was no chance of mistaking her for anyone else. Despite that, though, it was clear that memory utterly failed to do her justice, because she was even more beautiful than I remembered. Once again, her beauty was enough to render me speechless, and I simply stared, half-tempted to go over to her and touch her, wanting to see if she was actually real. After all this time, I felt almost doubtful that she existed in the first place, except my imagination, I knew, wasn't nearly that good.

It took me a few moments to realize she was crying.

My heart ached at the realization. Why was she upset? What could have possibly happened that put her in a state of such anguish?

Before I knew it I found myself sitting down next to her. I wasn't sure what I was going to do, wasn't sure of anything besides the fact that I couldn't bear to see her like this. I wanted so badly to comfort her, and was willing to do whatever it took to do so.

"What's wrong?" I asked her gently.

She looked up at me, her beautiful eyes wide and wet. My heart pounded in my chest, but I made sure not to just gawk at her this time. She deserved better than that.

"I noticed you were upset, and I was wondering what it was that was bothering you so much. Is everything all right?"

It took her a few minutes to answer, and I waited patiently for her reply.

"He broke up with me," she said softly. "Said that he- he didn't want me anymore." I didn't have to ask to know she was referring to the same guy I saw her with on the subway.

"Well, screw him, too," she said angrily, attempting to hide her pain with bravado.

"He's a fool, then," I replied. Did he even have the slightest idea what he'd just given up? "If I were him, I would have never let you go." But then again, if I were him I would have also never hurt her like this.

She didn't say anything immediately, just bit her lip in a way that almost destroyed my normally excellent sense of self-control. When she did speak, she seemed to choose her words carefully.

"I'm pretty sure I've seen you before," she told me. "In the subway, right? About two months ago?"

I nodded, incredulous. "I didn't realize you would remember that," I admitted. In fact, I felt thrilled at the idea of her remembering me. It was better than I could have hoped for.

She continued on, speaking hesitantly. "How could I forget? The way you were looking at me- I thought there was something seriously wrong with me."

"No, nothing is wrong!" I reassured her quickly. She was perfect. How could she not know that? "I just haven't seen a woman as beautiful as you before in my entire life."

"Beautiful? Are you sure? I mean, I've been called pretty, hot, sexy even. But no guy has ever called me beautiful."

I couldn't believe what she was saying. No man had ever told her she was beautiful? Were they blind?

"Well, you are," I insisted. "You are beautiful." Right then I decided to make sure she knew just how beautiful she was. I would do everything to remove all the doubts she had in her mind at this moment.

"Thank you," she answered. "I'm Rose, by the way."

"Dimitri." I'd imagined, possibly a thousand times over, something like this happening, but what was happening right now still managed to be infinitely better.

"Dimitri," she said, as if testing out the name on her tongue. I was mesmerized by the sound of my name on her lips, and I wanted nothing more than for her to say it again.

_Start at the beginning,_ I told myself. _You don't want to frighten her off._ I wasn't going to ruin it with her. I was going to do everything right, just as she deserved.

Because just one look at her, one look, and I knew. I knew that I loved her, even though I barely knew her, and I wanted to be with her for the rest of my life, no matter what the cost.

"If it's alright with you," I told her, feeling more nervous than I ever had in my life, "I want to get to know you better."

What occurred after that felt very surreal. I could hardly believe I was lucky enough to get a chance to be with the most amazing woman in the world, and after I was put under the impression that I would never be able to be with her. Rose quickly became my world, and soon I had no idea how I could have ever lived without her in my life. The more time I spent with her, and the more things I learned about her, the deeper I fell in love with her, to the point where I knew that, despite what I had thought before, I was truly meant to be with her.

And every day I spent with her, I felt more grateful that I still got to be with her, to be with the woman of my dreams.


	5. I'm With You

**Hey guys! So, as you can see, I changed the title to something that could encompass all the little song-inspired fics I write... I hope you don't mind that. Also, this next chapter is once again all human, written to the song "I'm With You" by Avril Lavigne. **

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><p>Never before had I ever hated my life more than I did at this very moment.<p>

I walked slowly down the street, trying my absolute hardest not to cry. I'd always prided myself on staying strong, no matter how hard things got, but this time I found it increasingly difficult to do so. I thought I had everything figured out just this morning, not seeing how easily things could- and would- change.

To be perfectly honest, I'd never had it easy in life. My mother gave me up for adoption when I was two years old, because apparently her life was, at that point in time, much too busy for a child. Thankfully, the Dragomirs were kind enough to adopt me, and my life was good, actually, until a car accident that occurred the summer after I turned fifteen, killing everyone except for me and my adoptive sister, Lissa. Because we were still minors, we were immediately put under the care of our Uncle Victor, who'd always seemed nice enough and who we'd never imagined doing the things he did to us. Most of the three years we spent there we had to put up with hi abuse, until we were absolutely done with it, and even then we continued to put up with it until only recently, when we were finally legally old enough to live on our own.

Lissa was able to go live with her boyfriend, Christian, in the meantime. I was going to be with Adrian, my boyfriend of six months, but it was when I needed him most that he decided to shatter my heart into a million pieces. He told me he wanted to be with a girl named Sydney, and that things between us just weren't the same anymore.

One day I would be over it. I might even be happy for them. But right now it hurt, hurt like someone ripped my heart right out of my chest, and I felt so miserable that I wanted to curl up on the ground and just wallow in all the pain and misery.

But I didn't. Instead, I continued on, stopping at a bridge and looking down on the river that flowed beneath it, lost in my own thoughts. Trying to hold back a sob, I couldn't help but feel desperately alone.

The rain wasn't helping, either. The pitter-patter of it was all I could hear, and there were no sounds of footsteps, no sounds of anything at all, actually, besides the pouring rain. It made me feel like I was the last person on Earth. And I hated it.

Was there anyone out there that actually cared about what I was going through?

To be fair, Lisa probably would, though the thing was she had no idea what I was going through. And I intended to keep it that way. She was perfectly happy with Christian, and I didn't want to ruin her life with my problems. I'd always put her before myself in life, and I was determined to make sure that this time would be no different.

I would find a way out of this mess. There was no need to dump my problems on her, not when I could take care of them on my own.

Despite this self-pep talk, however, I was feeling no better about this mess than I was before. If anything, I felt about ready to cry, because I was tired and cold and wet and so desperately alone.

No matter how much I told myself that I could handle my problems, I was almost sure that I couldn't. I didn't have any money, and I had nowhere to stay, and just thinking about it made me feel hopeless.

After a little bit, I got tired of standing there, and left the bridge, looking around at the buildings, the people, as I tried and utterly failed to convince myself that everything would be alright. There weren't very many people, of course, and the few people that were outside were more often than not hurrying to get to their destination and out of the rain. Naturally, I knew none of the faces I passed, and though I had no reason to expect a familiar face, I felt only more disappointed, because as selfish as it was, I wanted someone I could trust to vent this all out to. My life was a complete mess right now, what with escaping from an abusive uncle and Adrian dumping me right when I needed him and my desire not to have to make Lissa deal with this in addition to her own problems and the fact that I had nothing, absolutely nothing, and no way to survive in this cold, cruel world.

It made me feel as if I were going out of my mind.

Despite all my efforts to hold them back, the tears still came, rolling down my already wet face. The idea of living on the streets was terrifying, but it was looking more and more like I didn't have a lot of options.

At that point, I didn't think things could get any worse. But then they kinda did.

"Hey there, sexy," a voice purred from behind me.

I whipped around to see three guys, all of them clearly stoned off their asses and with expressions on their faces that could only be described as pure, raging lust.

"What's a gorgeous lady like you walking around by yourself this time of night?" one of them, the one who'd gotten my attention, slurred at me. "Don't you want some... male company?" As he'd said this, he'd reached out to grab my arm, making me feel even more uncomfortable.

"Leave me alone," I hissed, trying to yank my arm away. But somehow this guy's grip was too strong, like iron.

"Aww, don't be like that, babe. We know you really want some," the guy insisted. His two buddies huddled around me, snickering as they groped me.

"No, seriously, please-" I started to say when a voice from behind me spoke.

"Leave her alone," The person said. Their voice was rough and masculine, laced with an accent that was... German? Russian? I couldn't tell for sure in that moment.

"Hey, what's your deal, man?" the creep demanded. "We found her first. Finders keepers, losers weepers."

Clearly the man was not amused, because his next words were in a dangerously low growl. "Leave her alone," he repeated. "She told you she didn't want that, so you'd better take your hands off of her, or God so help me, I will make sure you regret even thinking about it."

"Hey, no need to get all crazy on us," the guy pleaded, taking a step back. His friends did the same. "We'll just-" He didn't bother finishing his sentence before the three of them turned and ran.

I slid down against the wall, relieved that it was over, but still scared, perhaps even more than ever now. How was I ever going to handle this?

"Are you okay?"

I looked up to see the man who was undoubtedly my savior, kneeling down in front of me with an expression of concern on his face. I wasn't able to get a good look at him before, but now I did, and I found that he wasn't a whole lot older than me- probably in his twenties, if I had to guess- as well as devastatingly handsome. He had a lean, hard muscular body that any girl would swoon over, matched with an angled, gorgeous face framed by dark chin-length hair. Despite the almost fierce appearance, the eyes that studied me were a soft brown that reminded me of melted chocolate.

I nodded. "Thank you for uh, helping me out there," I told him.

"Those bastards didn't get half of what they deserved," he growled, his accent seeming slightly thicker than before. Definitely Russian, I thought. "They obviously haven't ever bothered to learn how to treat a woman right."

"Still, you didn't have to do that. I mean, I'm sure you had other stuff to do." Though that wasn't all of it. It was more because I wanted to believe, and I wanted him to believe, that I wasn't a helpless damsel in distress, that I could very well have solved the problem if he hadn't intervened on my behalf. I didn't like admitting weakness- I was a little too proud for that. "I'm Rose, by the way."

"Dimitri. I hope you don't mind me asking, Rose, but what's a girl like you doing on such a cold, wet night?"

I looked down, not sure what to say. "I don't have a place to go right now," I admitted. All of a sudden, an idea that was so insane and desperate that I absolutely had to try it popped into my head.

"Take me with you," I begged. I had no idea why I decided this was a good idea. I'd just met this guy, so other than the fact that he was clearly willing to help me out in a bad situation, I knew pretty much nothing about the man. He seemed trustworthy, but really, what did I know? Instead I continued, "I know it's pretty sudden, but I want to get out of here, to go somewhere else." Preferably somewhere I've never been, I added silently.

Dimitri seemed to be mulling it over in his mind, and after several tense moments, he agreed. "After all, it's not good for you to be out here on your own." There was a certain gleam in his eye, though, that hinted that it wasn't the only reason.

He helped pull me up, taking the chance to kiss my hand gallantly as he did so. The gesture made me blush like crazy. I followed him to his car, and climbed inside, hardly daring to believe I was getting into a car with a complete stranger and going to some random, unknown location.

Not once in my life did I ever come to truly regret that decision.


End file.
